Reaction to Gov. Henry’s Veto of Legal Reform in OK

In reaction to Governor Brad Henry’s veto of SB507 yesterday, the legal reform package, one wonders why any of the objections he raised couldn’t have been resolved beforehand. Henry had made tort reform one of his supposed priorities, and the political makeup of the Legislature maximizes a governor’s leverage (Republicans have a 57-44 majority in the House and Senate is evenly divided, 24 to 24.) Compromise would be possible if you were really serious about legislation to bring a measure of balance to the state’s civil justice system, right?

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said: “The governor missed a grand opportunity to send a message to the nation that Oklahoma is pro-jobs, pro-doctor and pro-business. Instead, he sent a message that millionaire trial lawyers are still running the show.”

Coffee said Henry’s proposed changes to the bill’s $300,000 limit on damages for pain and suffering and other areas “would have unacceptably gutted the bill’s key provisions.”

With recent reforms, Texas has jumped into the No. 1 ranking for its tort climate, according to the PRI study. It’s usually a bad sign for economic development when your neighboring state is so much more receptive to business, making its legal climate less capricious.

Opportunity missed, Governor.

UPDATE (Monday, 10:58 a.m.): On the plus side, business climatewise, Oklahoma has the earliest Tax Freedom Day in the country.